Magic Flavor-Enhancing Cheese Rinds

Don’t toss the rind from that delectable wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: Save it to enrich your next soup or risotto.

“I throw my rinds into soups,” says smtucker, “especially tomato-based ones, which gives them a wonderful earthy and slight cheesy flavor.” Others add them to minestrone or French onion soup. Add the rind early on, suggests greygarious; much of it will melt into the soup, and you can fish out what’s left.

corneygirl uses the rinds to make a quick soup: Add a rind, a bay leaf, and a dried chile to broth and simmer; “toss in tortellini and it’s dinner.”

rock0052 adds Parmigiano rinds along with the stock when starting to cook risotto. relizabeth doesn’t bother fishing the rinds out of risotto. “It is a magical melty cheesy suprise,” she says. “I purposely dish servings out so I always get the rind.”